FRCC COVID-19 Communications

Important Message from President Dorsey About COVID-19 and Summer Semester 2020 - April 20

With everyone’s safety in mind—and in consultation with faculty and college leadership—I have decided to cancel most campus coursework for the summer and move most of our summer courses online.

While there is positive progress on reducing the spread of COVID-19, most scenarios for reopening the economy envision ongoing social distancing. With so much uncertainty, I wanted to make a decision now about summer classes so that both you and your faculty could plan effectively.

This change will include all general education courses and most lecture-based, business and technical courses. We will have a few technical training programs (like machining and welding) on campus in a short semester starting June 30. We will have information online later this week about the classes that will be offered on campus. You can see updates on our COVID 19 web page.

Courses offered online this summer will not be a continuation of the remote learning we instituted this spring. Instead, they will be fully developed online courses with robust course content, activities and assessments that are largely asynchronous—which means you can do your work when it is convenient for your schedule.

If you already registered for one or more summer online course(s), there will be no change to your enrollments for those courses.

If you have registered for one or more on-campus summer class(es), your classes will be canceled and you will be notified about how you can enroll in online sections. Pathways Advisors will be reaching out to you this week, but I also encourage you to contact your Pathways Advisors directly. You are now able to schedule appointments with your advisor through Navigate. You can access Navigate through your student portal.

We are developing a new grant process to help students cover the higher cost of online classes and get other financial assistance for the summer. I expect to be able to announce that process on approximately Wednesday, April 22.

I realize this is disappointing for many of you who had hoped to be back on campus together this summer. But making this decision now helps to eliminate some of the uncertainty in the planning process, while prioritizing the safety of our communities.

I also know many of you are thinking about fall semester. I am very hopeful that FRCC will be able to hold on-campus classes by then. We will continue to provide regular updates to all of you via email, town halls, social media—and on our COVID-19 page.

I hope that you and your families are well and continue to stay safe and healthy. If you have any questions about how these changes affect you, please contact your Pathways Advisor. You are always welcome to reach out to me directly at andy.dorsey@frontrange.edu.

Sincerely,

Andy Dorsey

President, Front Range Community College

Past Communications

We have worked hard over the past few weeks to find the best routes for students to achieve success. I am happy to share updated information regarding the Spring 2020 COVID-19 Incomplete Request Process and Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Grade Change Request options. We encourage you to speak with your Pathways Advisor or financial aid before making any decision about Incompletes or grade changes.

Incomplete Grade Request ProcessAs part of our COVID-19 response, for Spring 2020 semester only you can request an Incomplete grade from your faculty/instructors if you have completed 60% or more of a course and have a grade of C or higher. Students have until May 13, 2021 to complete their coursework. After May 13, 2021, if the student does not complete this coursework, their COVID-19 Incomplete reverts to a final letter grade of an F. Please note this process is different than our normal Incomplete process.

You must work directly with your faculty or instructor to receive an Incomplete for your course(s).

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grade Change Request ProcessFor Spring 2020 semester only, you have the option to request a grade change in any course(s) from a letter grade to an S or U. This form must be submitted by May 28, 2020. This process is different than our normal grade assignment process. Here is how the process will work.

Faculty will grade courses with a letter grade just as they normally would.

Students are able to request the change to an S or U grade until May 28, 2020.

The Registrar will assign S grades for any letter grade of "C" or above.

Guaranteed Transfer (GT) courses with an S grade will be transferable based on guidance from the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

Courses with an S grade will still count toward graduation in all programs at FRCC, except in some health care programs. Please check with your Pathways Advisor about these programs.

If you decide to petition for an S or U grade change, your transcript will note that the S/U is in response to COVID-19. Once an S/U is assigned, the grade cannot be changed back to a letter grade.

This is an important conversation for you to have with your Pathways Advisor or financial aid before making a final decision. The "S" grade may be the right choice for many students, but not for all. For some students, this type of change may affect tuition reimbursement from employers, VA benefits or entrance into competitive programs. If you are aiming for competitive admissions program, you may not want to opt for S/U grades.

I hope that these changes will help you have a successful semester. If you have questions about either process, please contact the Registrar's Office at Registrar@frontrange.edu.

Many students have reached out to advisors and faculty with concerns about their ability to finish courses via remote access learning. We want you to know that we have heard you. In this email, I will be detailing temporarily updated policies and new options for course completion, as well as an update about our Emergency Student Success Grant.

Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory grades

For this semester only, students have an option to request a grade of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) instead of a letter grade. Here is how it will work:

Faculty will grade courses with a letter grade just as they normally would.

Students are able to petition the registrar’s office to change the grade to an S or U. They can petition until 14 days after the end of the semester.

Neither Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory grade counts toward GPA

The registrar will assign S grades for any letter grade of “C” or above.

Guarantee Transfer courses with an S grade will be transferable based on guidance from the Colorado Department of Higher Education

Courses with an S grade will still count toward graduation in all programs at FRCC, except in some health care programs.Please check with your advisor about these programs.

If you decide to petition for a S or U Grade, transcript will note that the S/U is in response to COVID-19. Once an S/U is assigned, the grade cannot be changed back to a letter grade.

The ”S” grade may be the right choice for many students, but not for all. For some students, this type of change may affect tuition reimbursement from employers, VA Benefits or entrance into competitive programs. If you are aiming for competitive admissions program, you may not want to opt for S/U grades.

This is an important conversation for you to have with your Pathways Advisor before making a final decision.

Emergency Student Success Grant

We will be reopening the Emergency Student Success Grant application today for a short time. The application will be available until those funds are depleted. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis. While it is our desire to help everyone, there is a limited amount of funding available.

The FRCC Emergency Student Success Grant Program has existed for all currently registered FRCC Students. The grant is a one-time assistance during the students’ academic career at FRCC. To help minimize the immediate critical needs of students impacted by COVID-19, we are focusing the fund to provide emergency support for various expenses to students who are affected by the current situation. Tuition, fees and books are not covered by the grant. High school students are not eligible.

I hope this change will help you have a successful semester. Please watch for upcoming live student town halls where you will have an opportunity to ask questions about this or any other issues you may have.

We have been actively monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation. In the wake of the stay-at-home orders in Denver and Boulder and continued community spread of the virus, I have decided to close our campuses at least temporarily. Remote access classes and student support services will continue as planned.

Temporary Campus Closure Details

All campuses will close buildings to students tomorrow, March 25, at 4:00 p.m. Campuses will remain closed through April 12, consistent with recent Denver and Boulder stay at home orders.

Why Close Campus

This was a difficult decision, but I believe it is the most responsible and practical choice.

We are increasingly worried that keeping campuses open is not socially responsible. There is clear community spread of the virus around all of our campuses. In addition, we have had several reports of students and staff who have been in close contact with individuals who have tested positive. If we remained open, we almost certainly would have individuals coming to campus who are contagious and likely do not even know it.

With the Denver and Boulder orders, students and staff from those cities cannot come to campus, which means that we would need to consider adjusting classes, especially our hands-on classes, for them. In addition, it appears increasingly likely that several factors may reduce attendance in the campus classes we had hoped to offer. Some students will not be able to come because their children are at home, some because they are ill, and some because they live with an at-risk person. For all these reasons, we would likely have to offer later make-up of classes. It seems wiser to focus now on developing a good strategy for offering the classes later to all students.

We have reasonably reliable information that at least one of the counties in our service area is strongly considering stay-at-home orders that would force one of our campuses to close. Rather than continue to plan for an opening that is increasingly unlikely, we thought it was best to focus on how to support students if we are closed.

Next Steps

For most students, remote access classes will still start on March 30. For some students in hands-on programs like welding or automotive technology, the closure will mean changes to your program. Your faculty will be in contact with you as soon as possible with more information.

College leadership and I also made the decision today to cancel our pinning and graduation ceremonies for this May. We have reached out to those students who have already applied and RSVP’d to graduate, to help us understand what kind of alternative graduation they prefer. If you have applied to graduate, please check your student email for the survey.

We will announce alternative plans soon.

This has been a challenging time for many of members of the FRCC Community. We are working hard to identify more resources to support students and will have more information soon. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at FRCC.COVID19@frontrange.edu.

Finally, please make sure to check your student email and our website frequently for the most up to date information.

We know that this has been a challenging two weeks. Our entire college community has been impacted in some way by COVID-19. I want to reassure you that our faculty and staff have been working hard behind the scenes to support you in your academic successes even as we transition to remote delivery of most courses and services.

Preparing for Remote Delivery
Most of your course work will continue remotely for the remainder of the term.

Even though most classes don’t resume until March 30, please check your course D2L sites or your email now. I know many professors are reaching out to help you transition and to answer questions. If you haven’t heard from your professor, please contact them.

We recognize that you may be worried about completion and we are working hard to explore all options and will have information and resources for you soon.

Emergency Assistance for Students (including for laptops)
The FRCC Emergency Student Success Grant Program is available to all current FRCC students. The grant is a one-time assistance during a student's academic pursuits at FRCC. The grant can be applied to laptops (up to $700), vehicle repairs, prescriptions, gas, and other emergency needs. Tuition, fees and books are not covered by the grant. You can apply here today.

Low Cost Internet Access
Comcast is making changes to their Internet Essentials program to support low income students through the coronavirus pandemic. Please see their website for more information.

We have not yet made a decision regarding commencement. Once the decision has been made, we will announce that information via your student email account and on our website.

Summer and Fall Class Schedules and Registration
Summer classes are currently proceeding as normal. We recommend that you register for summer courses as usual. We will announce any changes to summer courses as soon as we have more information. The Fall course schedule will be available on March 30, 2020. Priority registration will be available the same day and will open to all students on March 31, 2020.

#DoingMyPartCO
We also want to see how you are #DoingMyPartCO to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tag us @FRCCedu on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and use #DoingMyPartCO to show Colorado that our FRCC community is thriving in this challenging time.

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the state of Colorado continue to increase, FRCC leadership, in conjunction with the Colorado Community College System, are taking steps to minimize risks to students, staff and faculty and provide a way for students to successfully compete their coursework.

Transition to Remote Teaching and Learning

We are cancelling most classes the week of March 16, 2020 at the Westminster and Boulder County Campuses, and the week of March 23, 2020 at the Larimer Campus. This will allow time for faculty and instructors to transition classes to remote access and work out the details of how we will continue instruction in hands-on programs like welding and machining.

Spring breaks will continue as usual on all campuses; essentially most students on all campuses will now have a two-week spring break.

Important: Online classes will continue as originally scheduled without additional breaks. Some lab classes may continue during the weeks other classes are cancelled. Your instructor will contact you about that.

All of our campus buildings will remain open during this time.

Beginning March 30, 2020, classes on all campuses will resume, mostly using online learning or videoconferencing. Some classes will continue with a combination of remote access and campus-based lab time where social distance can be maintained. (The CDC defines social distance as “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet) from others when possible.”)

Your instructor should be reaching out to you with specific plans, but please contact them if you have questions.

We expect that classes will continue with remote access for the remainder of the semester, but will continue to evaluate the spread of the virus.

Clinicals and Internships

Note that scheduled clinicals for health care programs and other off site work may still continue during the weeks that other classes are scheduled. We will update students in affected programs individually.

Concurrent Enrollment

We are still working out the details of what will happen with classes at high school sites. For the moment we are planning to continue those in a face-to-face modality, but we are focusing immediately on alternatives.

Events and Services

Essential campus services will remain open and available to you. This also includes access to computers and computer labs on campus. There will, however, be limits to the number of students able to access any individual computer labs in order to maintain social distance.

Student gatherings and on-site classes will typically be limited to roughly 8 individuals total, who will be asked to maintain a distance of 6 feet apart. There will be some limited exceptions for previously scheduled events. Large events will likely cancelled unless they are able to be held virtually, but we are still evaluating our events policy.

We are still evaluating graduation and will provide more information in the next two weeks.

Student Employees

Student employees should continue to work at your normal work location until further notice. Should any changes arise, your supervisor will communicate with you directly.

Questions and Information

Please continue to stay up to date by visiting the FRCC COVID-19 Updates Website, and check your email and FRCC’s social media channels for information on this constantly evolving situation. Should you have any additional questions, please email us at FRCC.COVID19@frontrange.edu. We will be monitoring that address to answer any questions.

This a challenging time for all of us. I appreciate your patience and cooperation as we find the right balance of reducing risk and allowing all of you to have a successful semester. I know that there are still issues we have not yet addressed, so please do not hesitate to share your questions or concerns.

We continue to monitor the status of the novel Coronavirus. As you probably know, there are now fifteen presumed cases in Colorado and a growing number of cases nationwide. You can see updates on the situation in Colorado from the Department of Public Health.

You may also know that Governor Polis has declared a state of emergency. That declaration does not directly impact the college, nor does it necessarily forecast what will happen to the virus in Colorado. It does give the state some ability to respond if the situation worsens.

The FRCC leadership teams are meeting almost daily to review the latest developments and make contingency plans. We are also adding a new COVID 19 page to our web site, http://frontrange.edu. It should be live later today. If you have questions about COVID 19 and our response, you can email us at FRCC.covid19@frontrange.edu.

Our cleaning crews are taking extra steps to disinfect high touch areas, following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.

Instructional leaders and faculty are refining our plans to deliver instruction online, through videoconference or other methods in the event we need to limit classes on campus. While I hope that we can sustain normal campus operations, we are also making sure we are prepared if we cannot.

On campus, please continue to promote good health. While hand sanitizers are a convenient option, good handwashing hygiene is still among the best ways to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses. This is especially true for COVID-19 given our best information on how it is transmitted. For more information on handwashing, visit CDC’s handwashing-website: www.cdc.gov/handwashing. In addition to handwashing, please be sure to follow these other everyday actions that will help to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Stay home when you are sick

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Finally, with spring break coming up, please be mindful of travel. We strongly discourage travel to countries listed by the as High Warning Countries by the Center for Disease Control. Note that if you are travelling to a high warning country the CDC is requiring you to self-quarantine. Countries that are not high warning now could become so while you are travelling, so please consider carefully your travel plan. Even if you believe you are personally unlikely to become sick, please remember that you can transmit the virus to someone at higher risk.

All of the FRCC staff wants you to be able to complete your semester in a safe manner. We will continue to keep you informed both through email and messages on our website.

As many of you know, on March 5, 2020, Governor Polis announced the identification of two cases in Colorado. FRCC is monitoring the situation closely and will follow the recommendations from state and local health department officials.

We are also preparing for situations that may impact the college. The FRCC leadership team is actively refining our plans to continue instruction in the case of school closures. We are also developing protocols for how to support students and staff who become sick or are subject to quarantine.

As I noted before, all of us can help keep our campuses safe with steps like extra hand washing and staying home if we are sick. Please connect with your healthcare provider for further recommendations and screening if you believe you may be experiencing symptoms of either seasonal flu or COVID-19.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has established a call line to address questions from the public about COVID-19. The Colorado Health Emergency Line for the Public (CO HELP) is a toll-free hotline for the latest public health information with reliable, consistent, and accurate information. The CO HELP number is 1-877-462-2911. Interpreters are available in Spanish and many other languages.

You can see more detailed health guidelines and updated information at the Center for Disease Control COVID-19 webpage. It includes guidance on prevention, symptoms, and treatment, testing, and frequently asked questions. You can also see information from the State of Colorado here.

I know that many of you have been following the news reports regarding the spread of the new coronavirus disease, called COVID-19, the United States and around the world. At this point, there are no known cases in Colorado.

The health and safety of every member of our college community is important. The Front Range Community College leadership is actively monitoring the situation. We are coordinating closely with state and local health officials and will follow their lead on any quarantines, closures, or other health measures needed. We are also refining plans for how to continue education in the event of a closure.

In the meantime, all of us can help keep our campuses safe with steps like extra hand washing and staying home if we are sick. Please connect with your healthcare provider for further recommendations and screening if you believe you may be experiencing symptoms of either seasonal flu or COVID-19.

You can see more detailed health guidelines and updated information at the Center for Disease Control COVID-19 webpage. It includes guidance on prevention, symptoms, and treatment, testing, and frequently asked questions. You can also see information form the State of Colorado here.

Message from Gov. Polis on State’s Response

DENVER - Gov. Polis declared a state of emergency in response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). The declaration will help ensure resources are available to the state to combat COVID-19.

“Our top priority is protecting public health and our vulnerable populations which is why we are taking swift bold action. Our administration's response will be guided by the science and lessons learned from the countries and states that this virus arrived in first” said Governor Jared Polis. “We will continue to be proactive and working around the clock to protect public health and safety with an eye towards preventing the need for more drastic measures that result in social disruption.”

“In order to slow the spread of the disease, some of the most effective measures we can take as a state is to test more people so that those who test positive can be isolated from the general population as we continue to stress the need for personal action such as staying home when sick, keeping their kids home when they’re sick and diligently washing your hands,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We thank everyone who has been involved with this containment effort for their tireless efforts and works to ensure the people of our state are safe.”

Details of the executive order:

Directs Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to engage in emergency rulemaking to ensure workers in food handling, hospitality, child care, health care, and education can get paid sick leave to miss work if they exhibit flu-like symptoms and have to miss work awaiting testing results for COVID-19.

For workers who test positive and lack access to paid leave, the Governor is directing CDLE to identify additional supports and wage replacement such as access to unemployment insurance. These steps are especially important for those who work with vulnerable populations like older Coloradans and those with underlying health issues. When those workers lack access to paid sick leave, it poses a great risk to our ability to protect the public.

Directs DPA to engage in emergency rulemaking regarding state employees. The administration wants to ensure that state functions continue to run smoothly. For employees who may be put either in quarantine or isolation and can work from home, they should do so. If these workers fall ill and cannot perform their duties, they will be able to use paid leave, and the state will be flexible with that paid leave. For impacted employees who cannot work remotely, such as correctional officers, assisted living staff, etc., the administration is working to ensure paid leave options for those who are ill to ensure that those workers can continue to put food on the table while protecting public health.

Directs the Department of Revenue to temporarily allow Coloradans over the age of 65 - a vulnerable population - to extend their driver's licenses online to avoid having to congregate at DMVs at this time.

Starting tomorrow, the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment will be opening a drive-up lab at their facility in Lowry to test anyone who has a note from their doctor stating that they meet the criteria for testing. Let me repeat because this is important, you must still have a doctor’s order to get tested at the new drive-up lab. That facility is located at 8100 E Lowry Blvd, Denver, CO 80230.

The Governor issued the executive order verbally. The Governor encouraged the private sector of Colorado to voluntarily offer paid sick leave so that we can collectively do our part to contain the virus.

The Governor was joined by Rachel Herlihy, State Communicable Disease Epidemiologist, CDPHE, Scott Bookman, Incident Commander, CDPHE, Mike Willis, Director, Colorado Office of Emergency Management, Stan Hilkey, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, Joe Barela, Executive Director of the Department of Labor and Employment today at the state capitol.

Yesterday, the Polis administration took action to ensure Coloradans can get tested for COVID-19 without financial fear. Last week, the Governor directed all state agencies to implement the State Emergency Operations Plan. This is a plan that the state has used in the past to respond to a variety of incidents, including natural disasters like fires and floods, and it is designed to ensure we have the resources and systems in place to respond to COVID-19.